Cliffsnotes of Kennedy’s Love Affair

Former White House intern, Mimi Alford, has written a salacious rendition of her affair with President John F. Kennedy, in a memoir that’s making headlines. It’s nothing new that Kennedy had extra-marital affairs, but it is an interesting look into the volunerable moments of the most powerful position in the world. “If presidents represent the best of America, then there’s quite a gap between that and their behavior,” historian Robert Dallek told The Washington Post. “Presidents — all of them — hide things.” We’ve compiled a few key facts for curious readers:

1. Alford began an 18-month affair with Kennedy almost as soon as she began a White House Internship as a 19-year-old Sophomore.

2. Alford lost her virginity in the First Lady’s bedroom after Kennedy invited her on a personal tour. “I noticed he was moving closer and closer. I could feel his breath on my neck. He put his hand on my shoulder,” she writes.

3. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy confided that “I’d rather my children red than dead.”

4. During a swim in the pool, Kennedy requested that Alford perform oral sex on his friend and aide, Dave Powers. Alford agreed and Kennedy watched.

5. As a parting gift at the end of her internship, she gave Kennedy a recording of Nat King Cole. The president responded, “You’re trying to make me cry.”

6. After the death of Kennedy’s infant son, Alford was invited to the White House. Kennedy wept as he read condolence letters next to her.

What do you think? Do we need more salacious memoirs? Should we be more forgiving of a president’s skeletons, or less? How does this make you feel about the Kennedy as a leader?